Hypertext Webster Gateway: "preoccupied"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Preoccupy \Pre*oc"cu*py\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Preoccupied}
(-p[=i]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Preoccupying}.] [Cf. F.
pr['e]occuper. See {Preoccupate}, {Occupy}.]
1. To take possession of before another; as, to preoccupy a
country not before held.
2. To prepossess; to engage, occupy, or engross the attention
of, beforehand; hence, to prejudice.
I Think it more respectful to the reader to leave
something to reflections than to preoccupy his
judgment. --Arbuthnot.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
preoccupied
adj 1: deeply absorbed in thought; "as distant and bemused as a
professor listening to the prattling of his freshman
class"; "lost in thought"; "a preoccupied frown" [syn:
{bemused}, {deep in thought(p)}, {lost(p)}]
2: having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with
something; "became more and more haunted by the stupid
riddle"; "was absolutely obsessed with the girl"; "got no
help from his wife who was preoccupied with the children";
"he was taken up in worry for the old woman" [syn: {haunted},
{obsessed}, {taken up(p)}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.